Although her cause of death has yet to be officially confirmed, police are working off the assumption that she took her own life.

Dongwan – who was signed to SM Entertainment from 1998 until July 2003 – took to Instagram following the news of Sulli’s death to criticise the approach of ‘large entertainment companies’ to mental health.

The 39-year-old wrote: ‘When an athlete suffers ligament injuries, even in the case that they can recover through repairing treatment and physical therapy, many experts still advise surgery. This is due to the fact that recuperation time after an injury is also written in as a part of their contracts.

Dongwan is a member of Shinhwa (Picture: Visual China Group via Getty Images/Visual China Group via Getty Images)

The singer believes more needs to be done (Picture: Han Myung-Gu/WireImage)

‘As the media grows larger and as the entertainment industry grows larger, there are many things that one side requires from the other, and vice versa.

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‘Even in harsh conditions where young people cannot eat properly or sleep properly, more and more adults are demanding that they wear a bright and healthy smile. You must be sexy, but you cannot have sex; you must be tough, but you cannot fight with anyone. This is what is required of them.’

The T.O.P singer continued: ‘Many hoobaes [young artists with less experience in the industry] are currently fighting a battle within themselves, debating how much sickness can they bear in their hearts and continue to work, all for the sake of the sweetness that money and fame provides.’

Dongwan added: ‘We must not fail to notice how readily the lazy actions of large entertainment companies can become the host of a contagious virus that can spread instantaneously.’

Sulli has passed away (Picture: Han Myung-Gu/WireImage)

Sulli debuted with f(x) in 2009 (Picture: Han Myung-Gu/WireImage)

The singer debuted with SM Entertainment in March 1998 with Lee Min-woo, Shin Hye-sung, Jun Jin, Eric Mun and Andy Lee in the band Shinhwa, but in July 2003, when the boys’ contracts expired, the agency offered all of them an extension bar Dongwan.

The band decided to leave SM for Good Entertainment, and now operate under the Shinhwa Company – although they had to battle SM for years to continue using their band name.

Sulli debuted with f(x) under SM Entertainment in 2009, and had major success with the girlband.

A statement from SM at the time read: ‘‘f(x) member Sulli became mentally and physically exhausted from the continuous, malicious comments and false rumours, and has expressed her wish to take a break from her celebrity activities for the time being.’

Sulli left the band for good in 2015, but in June 2019, she released her solo debut single album with SM, called Goblin.